"MUG" 2003 Obituary

MUGHAL o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-07-15 published
Ishwardutt Bhururam
SHARMA
By Rashid MUGHALTuesday,July 15, 2003 - Page A18
Athlete, intellect, husband, father, friend. Born June 22, 1926,
in Mombasa, Kenya. Died June 14 at Markham-Stouffville Hospital,
following a short illness after being treated for cancer, aged
To his many Friends, acquaintances and relatives around the world,
Ishwardutt Bhururam
SHARMA of Unionville, Ontario, will forever
remain a world traveller and a walking, talking encyclopedia
of stories, facts and ideas.
"In African mythology," he once said, "the first baobab planted
by God was an ordinary-looking tree but it refused to stay in
one place and wandered round the countryside. As a punishment,
God planted it back again -- upside down -- and immobilized it.
Thus baobabs may live well over 2,000 years, making them among
the longest-living organisms on the planet. During a severe drought,
their large green pods are cracked open and the nuts made into
a kind of flour. The resulting 'hungry bread' is part of the
common culture of the region where I was born."
I. B. SHARMA was born in the scenic Kilifi enclave of Mombasa,
Kenya, amid sisal plantations, groves of cashew trees, coconuts
and the solitary baobabs. All through life "Sharmaji" demonstrated
a rare courage to stand alone on the strength of his spirituality,
humanitarian principles, catholic worldview and protestant work
ethic.
Known to everyone as "I. B.
SHARMA of Mombasa," because of his
prolific letters in The Nation and other newspapers, he was a
great student of esoteric philosophy.
Tall and handsome, Sharmaji was endowed with a towering personality
and craggy good looks, grace and measured speech. In his younger
days, he was a champion debater and played tennis and cricket
like a machine. One part of him wanted to be a film actor, another
a semi-classical singer and, although he spent countless hours
in meditation and in practicing the classical ragas by singing
the songs of Manna Dey and listening to Ravi Shankar and to the
ghazals of singers such as Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Ali and Jagjit
and Chitra, the realities of daily life and the welfare of his
neighbours were always his first priority.
"Life is a series of challenge and response, challenge and response,"
he used to say.
Upon retirement from the Ports Authority in Kenya in 1975, he
moved with his family to England. For many years he worked in
the American Embassy in London, where he met the rich and famous
including the one big love of his life, J. Krishnamurti. In 1988,
he moved with his family to Canada. In 1996, during a trip to
India, he met the second big love of his life: Mother Teresa.
Swimming was a part of Sharmaji's daily routine. He attributed
his good health and strength to swimming and good eating habits.
He enjoyed 21 years of retired living. He always told his children:
"Live with a clean heart and courage, and live for today and
for the moment."
Sharmaji always conveyed a quiet dignity coupled with mental
alertness and a reservoir of intellectual prowess in responding
to some of the most challenging issues of the day. He spoke of
asking the impossible question and listening deeply to the question
"because the answer is in the question, my friend. Above all,
you must have the courage to stand alone."
He died peacefully with his daughters Sheela and Mira, and son
Vijay, at his side. In keeping with his wishes, he was cremated
in the Hindu tradition. Sharmaji is survived by his wife, Saraswati,
children Sheela, Usha, Mira, Vijay and Arti; sons-in-law Deepak
and Naresh, daughter-in-law Megan and grandchildren Roshni, Priya,
Vikram and Seema, and grand_son-in-law, John.
Rashid MUGHAL is a friend of I. B.
SHARMA.